Transfers way up in Iowa City schools

The number of students transferring within the Iowa City school district is up significantly this year, made possible because their former schools failed to meet educational goals.

As of late Monday, 159 students had indicated they will transfer this year. That's up 130 percent from last year's total of 69, according to the school district.

“It is more than any of us expected,” said Assistant Superintendent Ann Feldmann, who handles transfers.

As part of the federal No Child Left Behind law, districts must allow students at schools designated “in need of assistance” to transfer within the district. Schools are cited for failing to meet state-established goals.

It's rare for families to request transfers, said Elaine Watkins-Miller, spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Education. For example, Cedar Rapids schools have received 26 transfer requests this year, up from six last year, according to the district.

Districts do not report the transfers to the state, but the Iowa Department of Education collects numbers during site visits. It recorded just 24 transfers statewide last year, including five in Iowa City. (For more on the difference between the state's and the school district's numbers, visit http://thegazette.com/blogs/johnson-county-news)

The bottom line is most families do not choose to transfer, said Elaine Watkins-Miller, spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Education.

Five Iowa City elementary schools must allow transfers: Hills, Kirkwood, Lucas, Twain and Wood. Hills and Wood were added this year, which officials say likely contributed to the higher number of transfers.

Another factor is that, last year, the state notified the district just three days before the school year. This year, the district had word earlier and told parents of their options late last month, Feldmann said. School starts Thursday.

Discrepancies among schools in the percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure of poverty, have gotten a lot of attention lately. There's been a push to have boundaries redrawn to better distribute students demographically.

The five schools that must allow transfers had free-reduced lunch rates above the district average last year. Feldman said it's also possible some parents are using the transfer as a chance to send their child to a school with fewer socio-economic challenges.

“For those of us that have been following that issue, I certainly think that that may be a factor,” she said.

The district does not track that because they have to OK the transfers, no matter the reason. Parents must notify the district by Aug. 27 that their child intends to transfer. Later, the district will research the racial makeup, test scores and other characteristics of the transfer students, Feldmann said.

Superintendent Lane Plugge said it's unknown how the transfers may affect test scores and demographics at their former and new schools.

Dusti Cermak, co-president of the Districtwide Parents' Organization, was unaware there were so many transfers and said her group would talk about it with the district.

“Those numbers are concerning, and we don't want to shift the problem,” she said.

Kate Callahan, principal at Wood, said most of the students who transferred are incoming kindergartners. She said she understands that parents who received a letter that Wood was in need of assistance would have some concerns but those who have had children at the school and those she has sat down with have decided to stay.

Parents name the school they'd like a child to attend, but the district has final say. Of those transferring, 126 were assigned to Horn and Hoover, which are below the district's average free-reduced lunch rate.

Horn and Hoover were selected primarily because they had the space, Plugge said. A kindergarten teacher also was moved from Wood to Hoover, and a first-grade teacher was reassigned from Kirkwood to Horn.

The district must pay transportation costs for students who transfer, but that cost is not yet known, Plugge said.